NOTE 2 — DEBT

The components comprising the Company’s debt are presented in the following table (in thousands):

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Current Portion of Long-Term Debt, Net

As of March 31, 2023, the current portion of long-term debt of $30.8 million represented principal payments due within one year on the Term Loan (defined below), net of current unamortized debt issuance costs.

Term Loan (Subsidiary Credit Agreement)

On May 19, 2021, A-I LLC and A-II LLC (collectively, the “Subsidiary Borrowers”), both Delaware limited liability companies and indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company, entered into a credit agreement (the “Subsidiary Credit Agreement”) providing for a term loan (the “Term Loan”) in an aggregate principal amount equal to $215.0 million. The Term Loan requires quarterly amortization payments which commenced on September 30, 2021. The Term Loan bears interest at a fixed rate of 7.0% per annum and will mature on May 19, 2028.

At that time, in exchange for the net cash proceeds received by the Subsidiary Borrowers from the Term Loan, the Company assigned to (a) A-I LLC all of its interests in certain oil and gas leasehold interests and associated wells and units located in State of Alabama waters and U.S. federal waters in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, Mobile Bay region (such assets, the “Mobile Bay Properties”) and (b) A-II LLC its interest in certain gathering and processing assets located (i) in State of Alabama waters and U.S. federal waters in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, Mobile Bay region and (ii) onshore near Mobile, Alabama, including offshore gathering pipelines, an onshore crude oil treating and sweetening facility, an onshore gathering pipeline, and associated assets (such assets, the “Midstream Assets”).

The Term Loan is non-recourse to the Company and any subsidiaries other than the Subsidiary Borrowers and the subsidiary that owns the equity in the Subsidiary Borrowers, and is secured by the first lien security interests in the equity of the Subsidiary Borrowers and a first lien mortgage security interest and mortgages on certain assets of the Subsidiary Borrowers (the Mobile Bay Properties, defined below). See Note 5 – Subsidiary Borrowers for additional information.

During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company repaid $9.6 million of principal outstanding. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had $138.3 million in principal amount of the Term Loan outstanding.

Credit Agreement

The Company has entered into a Credit Agreement with Calculus Lending, LLC (“Calculus”), a company affiliated with and controlled by W&T’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Tracy W. Krohn, as sole lender under the Credit Agreement (as amended from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”). The Credit Agreement currently has a maturity date of January 3, 2024. Alter Domus (US) LLC serves as the administrative agent under the Credit Agreement. The primary terms and covenants associated with the Credit Agreement as of March 31, 2023, are as follows:

Availability under the Credit Agreement is subject to redetermination of the borrowing base that may be requested at the discretion of either the lender or the Company in accordance with the Credit Agreement. Any redetermination by the lender to change the borrowing base will result in a similar change in the availability under the Credit Agreement. The Credit Agreement is secured by a first priority lien on substantially all of the Company’s and its guarantor subsidiaries’ assets, excluding those assets of the Subsidiary Borrowers, which liens were released in the Mobile Bay Transaction (as described in Note 5 – Subsidiary Borrowers).

As of March 31, 2023, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement and no borrowings had been incurred under the Credit Agreement during the three months ended March 31, 2023. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had $4.4 million outstanding in letters of credit which have been cash collateralized.

11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2026

On January 27, 2023, the Company issued and sold $275 million in aggregate principal amount of its 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes at par with an interest rate of 11.75% per annum that matures on February 1, 2026 (the “11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes”), which are governed under the terms of an indenture (the “Indenture”). Interest on the 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes is payable in arrears on February 1 and August 1, commencing August 1, 2023. The 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes will be recorded at their carrying value consisting of principal and unamortized debt issuance costs. The 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes are secured by second-priority liens on the same collateral that is secured under the Credit Agreement, which does not include the Mobile Bay Properties and the related Midstream Assets. The estimated annual effective interest rate on the 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes is 12.4%, which includes amortization of deferred interest costs.

Prior to August 1, 2024, the Company may redeem all or any portion of the 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the outstanding plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date, plus the “Applicable Premium” (as defined in the Indenture). In addition, prior to August 1, 2024, the Company may, at its option, on one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate original principal amount of the 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes in an amount not greater than the net cash proceeds from certain equity offerings at a redemption price of 111.750% of the principal amount of the outstanding plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.

On and after August 1, 2024, the Company may redeem the 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes, in whole or in part, at redemption prices (expressed as percentages of the principal amount thereof) equal to 105.875% for the 12-month period beginning August 1, 2024, and 100.000% on August 1, 2025 and thereafter, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. The 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes are guaranteed by the Guarantors.

The 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes contain covenants that limit or prohibit the Company’s ability and the ability of certain of its subsidiaries to: (i) make investments; (ii) incur additional indebtedness or issue certain types of preferred stock; (iii) create certain liens; (iv) sell assets; (v) enter into agreements that restrict dividends or other payments from the Company’s subsidiaries to the Company; (vi) consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; (vii) engage in transactions with affiliates; (viii) pay dividends or make other distributions on capital stock or subordinated indebtedness; and (ix) create subsidiaries that would not be restricted by the covenants of the Indenture. These covenants are subject to important exceptions and qualifications set forth in the Indenture. In addition, most of the above-described covenants will terminate if both S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc., and Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. assign the 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes an investment grade rating and no default exists with respect to the 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes.

Redemption of 9.75% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2023

On October 18, 2018, the Company issued $625.0 million of 9.75% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2023 (the “9.75% Senior Second Lien Notes”), which were issued at par with an interest rate of 9.75% per annum that matures on November 1, 2023.

On February 8, 2023, the Company redeemed all of the $552.5 million of aggregate principle outstanding of the 9.75% Senior Second Lien Notes at a redemption price of 100.0%, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. The Company used the net proceeds of $270.8 million from the issuance of the 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes and cash on hand of $296.1 million to fund the redemption.

Covenants

As of March 31, 2023 and for all prior measurement periods presented, the Company was in compliance with all applicable covenants of the Credit Agreement and the Indenture.